Thunderscape: The World of Aden (PFRPG) PDF

5.00/5 (based on 6 ratings)

Our Price: $19.99

Add to Cart
Facebook Twitter Email

A World of Steam and Darkness!

In Aden, a thousand-year Golden Age of prosperity gave rise to an unprecedented development: the fusion of magic and technology into a unique discipline called mechamagic. Arcane power, steam power, and gunpowder changed the world almost overnight. The Golden Age ended, and the Age of Thunder began. It seemed there would be no limit to the industry and ingenuity of man.

Until the Darkfall.

A supernatural cataclysm of unknown origin, the Darkfall plunged the world into darkness as the sun was blotted out for only a moment. In that moment, every nightmare and horror imagined by the people of Aden sprang into existence, and the world was thrown into chaos. Villages were wiped from the face of the world, entire cities burned, and tens of thousands perished in an instant. It seemed that the world would die in flames.

But Aden will not die so easily.

Now, ten years later, the people of Aden struggle to survive in the face of unrelenting assault by horrors beyond imagining. It is a world of magic, a world of industry, a world of horror.

It is the world of Aden.

Thunderscape: the World of Aden is a setting and mechanics sourcebook compaitble with the Pathfinder Role-Playing Game. Within the pages of this book you will find the following:

  • Details on twelve different races of Aden, eight of which are new to this work!
  • Nine base classes heavily integrated into the setting but portable to all manner of campaigns, from the golem-commanding mechamage to the legend-summoning thaumaturge!
  • New traits and feats, and new uses for existing skills!
  • New spells, new technology, and new magic items!
  • A sample bestiary of eleven creatures from Aden!
  • And much, much more!

Product Availability

Fulfilled immediately.

Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

PZOPDFKYG10002E


See Also:

1 to 5 of 6 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>

Average product rating:

5.00/5 (based on 6 ratings)

Sign in to create or edit a product review.

Crunch, Glorious Crunch.

5/5

Here is the thing; I don't use campaign settings. I don't. I make up my own. But what I do love is a campaign setting like this, one that offers up a TON of awesome crunch for use by me outside of the proffered campaign setting but in my own twisted little make-em-up world.

And boy-howdy but is there a bunch here. Great classes like The Entomancer; a druid for you twisted weirdos who don't want to squish every creepy crawly bug you see. The Fallen, a GREAT class for a mangled wreck of a magical catastrophe who wants to do great things alongside those pretty Paladins and fancy-schmancy Sorcerers. You want to be a butt-kicking magical cyborg? Can we say Golemoid? And there is way more. But I don't have the listy-skills to go through the whole bunch.

And we have new weapons, gear, feats, spells and even some kick-butt new monsters.

So in the end, I haven't TOUCHED the campaign setting data, but still have gotten way more than my money's worth out of it.


An Endzeitgeist.com review

5/5

This massive campaign book clocks in at 227 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page ToC, 2 pages of editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 221 pages of content, so let's take a look, all right?

Now, if I utilize my usual level of detail and analyze everything down to the feat-level, we'll be here next Christmas, so please bear with me while I present this book's content in slightly broader strokes.

After introductory prose and well-drawn maps as well as a general introduction, we begin this book with the section on races, discussing the core-races and their roles within the setting of Aden first - though it should be noted that there are no default gnomes, halflings or half-orcs here - instead, there are A LOT of new races. The Faerkin would be basically the replacement for gnomes - flavorwise, they have ties with the fey, which translates to various alternate racial traits that represent this - Quickling blood increases base speed to 40 ft., for example - generally, I like this race - it's pretty well-balanced, though the aforementioned racial trait lacks the "ft." after the 40. Ferrans would be a race that all fans of werewolves and anthropomorphic animals will love - they are an artificially created race, intended for servitude, though by now they have claimed freedom via a massive insurrection - this war did leave its mark on the race, though - the avian and reptilian ferrans are extinct and now, only the mammalian ones remain - which is, balance-wise, probably a good thing. With either claws or bites, movement speed customization. Here' I'd like to thank the authors - not only have they concisely defined natural attacks, less experienced players also have the rules explained to them - nice one! Btw.: Ferrans come with two complete, alternate racial suites for brutes and sneaks - oh, and the race can select from a list of 3 different bestial abilities to account for the race's diversity. While the ferrans are a powerful race, it's not one that suffers from feature bloat or the like - my playtest did show them to be most appropriate from standard to high fantasy and less so in gritty low-fantasy scenarios, but admittedly, they can function in such contexts as well. Well-crafted one. Here would be, btw., as good a place as any to mention that alternate racial traits etc. tend to favor untyped bonuses, not racial bonuses - so if you're a consistency stickler like yours truly, you might be somewhat annoyed by that. And before you pull out the pitchforks - yes, I am aware that not all published races adhere to this convention either - it just would be nice if they did.

The Goreaux would be Aden's goblin-ish race...and they are extremely smart - with a focus on mechamagic and a focus on brilliant minds, they are an interesting race. That being said, they do gain +4 Int, which is something I am not a fan of, since it makes the race lopsided and ultimately makes them predisposed towards certain pursuits...and such increased bonuses tend to result in higher powered builds. The Jurak, highly adaptable survivalists, would be the stand-in for the half-orc -and once again constitute a great race - diverse, adaptable, interesting. Nice one! Rapacians would be the lizard-folk-ish race of Aden, though they are not primitive. Personally, I'm not a big fan of them getting bonuses to 2 physical attributes, but this is somewhat balanced by them being more straightforward regarding other racial traits - so yes, these guys get a pass from me. Then, there would be the echoes -blank slates of black in humanoid form, they are relatively recent creations...and these creepy-looking individuals may alter self - but only the form of a deceased humanoid, and only if they can secure a component of the humanoid to be integrated into their jewelry/vials/etc. This race is balanced, creepy and all awesome...however, I think the Transient Echo-abilities ought to specify that is Su in the ability-header, not just in the text - and yes, this is the nitpick-level that will not influence my final verdict. The Ilthix Exile, insectoid exiles of their alien insectoid race, get +4 Dex, -4 Cha, making them pretty lopsided. Worse, the race gets unassisted flight at first level, hive sense and non-verbal communication. This is the very picture-book example of a lopsided race and the unassisted flight before 6th level can be quite problematic. That being said, at least the fluff makes these guys suffer for their powerful abilities. This chapter btw. also contains favored class options for the new classes herein - there are a lot of them and chapter 2 is devoted to them. The race-chapter also sports age, height and weight-tables, common names, information on languages, etc.

So now, we'll take a look at the new classes - 9 of them. Seeing how one in-depth class analysis usually tends to cover 4+ pages, I'm going to instead focus on a broader strokes picture. The first class would be the Arbiter - at d12 and Full BAB, these guys are the agents of law and order, gaining e.g. class level as bonus to 3 skills, the class can be considered a more martial inquisitor in theme, with the talents granted at 3rd level and every two levels thereafter providing some customization. Theme-wise, arbiters would be tanks - with a focus on using shields, they can attack and AoO even in total defense and increase the power of these tricks. A solid blocker class - no complaints here...apart from the 10th level ability missing from table and write-up. Like all classes herein, we get information on how the class may be played via the example of numerous sample fluffy character backgrounds.

The Entomancer at d8 would be an alternate class of the druid (nicely done - quite a few authors fail in pointing the like out, resulting in multiclass issues...) and are all themed around "insects" - not vermin, mind you, insects - the definition of this term is pretty concise. Player agenda is emphasized by providing multiple insect mastery-groups - these can be pictured as collections of talents: Unlike bloodlines or orders, entomancers are not restricted to one, but may freely choose between them...however, the respective categories have prerequisites within, thus rewarding specialization in a given way. Once again, on the nitpicky side, I can complain about the prereqs e.g. once depicting the required masteries known as "two" and then as "2" - but once again, this is a cosmetic issue and will not influence my final verdict. From cricket to hawk moths, the companion-steeds provided are pretty cool and options for verminous scouts and swarms add quite a bunch of interesting narrative options - espionage in Aden can be pretty compelling. Oh, and yes, this would be horribly broken, but the loss of 3 schools means that the class needs the golems and actually proved to be a valid trade-off.

The single most defining event of Aden is 10 years past - the Darkfall. The very sun itself was extinguished for a short period and the whole world saw a sudden genesis of creatures from the very nightmares, the subconscious of the populace, suddenly springing to life. The offspring of this cataclysmic event's dread unions would be the Corrupted. However, some do not serve - these beings would be the Fallen, people born from the Darkfall, yet striving to resist its call. 2 good saves, d8 and 4+Int skills point towards a skirmisher -and indeed, they are - with an addition: They bear stigma, which they can use to channel debuff effects, so-called torments, which scale, btw., on nearby foes - think of a mechanic somewhat akin to an antipaladin's cruelties, but at range. Additionally, the fallen can choose a type of stigma, which can be likened to an order or bloodline in that it provides a scaling array of abilities and determines the bonus feats available. I generally like this class and enjoy the fluff immensely, but it does suffer a bit from sharing the same niche as Forest Guardian Press's excellent direlock, though surprisingly, the two classes gel very well with one another.

The manite implants of mechamagic have an unfortunate side-effect -the Wasting. At the same time, extremely modified creatures with a strong sense of dedication and loyalty seem to resist this effect -enter the Golemoids. At d10 and full BAB-progression, Golemoids gain a reserve of steam points with which they can activate their implants and, beyond interchangeable parts and combat specializations, these guys can be pretty much considered to be the robot-class of Aden, with 4 classes of manite implants offering a rather diverse array of options to choose from -e.g. rocket-powered fists. Yes, this class is pretty awesome! The Mechamage alternate wizard-class would be an int-based full caster, with no access to enchantment, illusion and evocation. The interesting component here would be that the class gets a golem minion he can call to himself - or rather, as many as he can afford. You see, while only one such minion can be active at a given time, the mechamage can have multiple ones with different customizations - doll golems, for example. Basic golems are pretty dumb and thus, the commands they understand are carefully noted...oh, and want to do something different? There are writs and they make an otherwise been there, done that pet-class interesting: Essentially, you have pieces of writing, cogs, etc. you prepare (at cost), which you feed to your golem, programming it. And yes, love how this reflects the legend of Rabbi Loew's golem. New writs are unlocked at 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter for an integrated scaling mechanism.

The seer, who gets all good saves, 3/4 BAB-progression and d8, looks somewhat like a monk, but also gets Wis-based spellcasting from the class's own list. These rare beings, gifted with the power of prophecy, rank first among the Darkfall's hitlist - and as such, these beings are RARE. The class is interesting in that it utilizes its fatebending prowess via a significant array of customizable auras, some of which are powered (or can be enhanced) by a growing pool of second sight tricks. This class ranks among my favorites herein - unique in niche and presentation, the seer can provide narrative gold and remains an awesome addition to other settings and systems as well. The steamwright, at d8 and good will-saves + 3/4 BAB and can be considered a super-science-tinker-class, with the closest analogue probably being Alexander Augunas' Technician from the awesome "Age of Electrotech"-book. The interesting component here would be the variable pool of firepower-bonus damage that can be added with quite some flexibility to the damage-dealing components of the steamwright's arsenal. The inventions featured, from various guns/cannons to audiographs that can record what is heard, furthermore come with options to modify them - both invention-specific and general modifications. This class proved to be pretty powerful in playtest, though not to a point where I'd start complaining, especially since it does offer a neat array of awesome narrative options and non-combat utility. The Thaumaturge has a full caster's chassis and all bad saves and they may draw upon legends - the manifestations of how people are remembered (as opposed to how they were) - these legends are called forth and bound - and they modify BAB, feats, skills, etc., while also granting abilities - this class is essentially a dilettante-like class with a truly unique and compelling fluff. Interesting, btw. - the legends have aspects which provide a passive benefit and one more powerful consume ability, which renders the aspect inert until it's reactivated. This class is very interesting - it is extremely weak when caught on the wrong foot, but makes for a great class for solo-adventures or small groups that need multiple roles filled. Beyond that, an interesting conglomerate of narrative tricks can render this class in game pretty awesome - what if a legend's perception changes and a thaumaturge is invested in the legend's ideal? A good GM can craft some inspiring yarns from this class.
Did you always want to play the badass pilot on a rumbling micro-steamtank or a jetbike? With full BAB, two good saves, minor spellcasting and a customizable signature vehicle, the thunder scout class is THE class for you - with numerous talents and customization options (and spells pertaining the vehicle), we get an awesome class with one annoying oversight - the vehicle's dimensions and weight are not explicitly stated - while one can take the vehicles later as orientation, I still considered this annoying.

All right, next would be the modifications/archetypes/infos on the traditional classes and their roles in Aden - from alchemists gaining golemoid manites to more controlled rages, the options here are solid, if not mind-boggling -essentially, we get means for existing classes to dabble in the new tools provided herein. On the plus-side, the awesome NPC-fluff-write-ups continue herein! Special mention deserve raging monks and the fact that paladins do not need to be good - however, they need to take several vows...and they do not fall. You heard me. Evil paladins can continue to smite evil and do not lose their class features. Personally, I love this. Why? Shades of grey, baby - and it makes the hypocritical erstwhile hero turned fanatic knight a much easier trope to play. Oh, and if you visibly violate your code, you'll sooner or later be hunted down... Oh, and there are golemoid palas. Samurai get flavorful new order names and an order that takes the smart fox/kitsune as inspiration...and there would be the shark and leviathan orders...

The book also sports numerous so-called folk-magic traits - essentially a toolkit that allows you to cast a single 0-level or 1st level spell as an SP, with CL being locked at 1st level - neat idea! As a nice note - traits utilize the often forgotten trait-bonus type. The pdf obviously sports numerous feats for the significant array of new classes herein -from better piloting to more techniques. Beyond these, support for multiclass monk/sorcs that let them use Wis instead of Cha and similar enabler-type-feats are provided alongside feats that extend the powers of a given racial ability. The chapter also details new uses of Knowledge (engineering), Heal and the rules for Craft (Machinery). After all of this, we dive into a concisely-written history of the world of Aden, which thankfully does not manage to get bogged down in the details, though a significant array of intriguing events are touched upon, before notes on languages, cosmology, calendar, wildlife and agriculture and so much more are provided - in spite of the relative brevity of this chapter, it, surprisingly, managed to captivate me. Major and minor religions, organizations (including a handy Pathfinder Lodge-stand-in) provide more than enough potential allegiances to have and share - though you should note that the religion write-ups are not particularly crunchy.

After this particular section, we dive into the nit and grit of the history, lands and politics of the massive nations that shaped Aden, noting governmental type, major imports and exports and predominant races - you won't find a detailed break-down of these components here, nor (thankfully) the rather annoying alignment-based nation-stereotyping. At the same time, military and similar crucial components are touched upon - and the respective nations sport their own full-color flags, which is a more than nice touch.

Part II of my review can be found in the product discussion. See you there!


5/5

Other reviews have discussed this in greater detail about the contents so I'll keep this short, pointing out the things that stood out to me.

I'm a big fan of mixing magic and technology. I love properties like He-Man, Thundercats and Flash Gordon so for a while I was on a huge lookout for Pathfinder products that would satisfy my need to run a few Magitech or Dungeon Punk campaigns. Thunderscape is the book that satisfied me in ways that other similar products didn't. Part of that is because of how the technology guide works (I'll get to that) and part of it is the flavor it evokes but for the most part its the options given that just work out for me.

Chapter 1 didn't strike me as terribly special until I got to the Ferrans. The Ferrans are a cool design and kind of make for 4 races rolled into one without getting super complicated. If you want a diverse 'furry' race then these guys will be lots of fun to play with.

Chapter 2 introduces 9 new classes. While the EntoMancer and Mechamage strike me as something that could be a Druid or Wizard archetype the remaining 7 classes are new, fresh and well designed. I cannot immagine running a dungeonpunk campaign without them. I could go on and on about these classes, they are really the MVPs of the book.

There are new weapons, armor and material that are pretty standard but I'm not really a fan of new gun and vehicle rules as they kind of disrupt assumptions and makes you have to convert when porting in or out. The all star here is the concept of Manite and Manite Engines. Which give precedence to have a source of energy allowing you to port in Technology Guide Items that could believably be run with steam.

There is also a lot of Aden lore which while does nothing for me, I mostly use the book for homebrew settings, it is a pretty fascinating world.

There is also a mini bestiary giving you some new and really evocative monsters to work with.

If you want to run a Dungeon Punk this book will give you pretty much all you need including a setting and some races to work with. I recommend it above anything else I've seen unless you really need a more detailed and robust chapter on technological items. That said there have been PDF crunch books about six of the classes as of writing this review and those expanded the classes ENORMOUSLY so I wouldn't be surprised if I see a technological item pdf that will make me eat my hat.

I'm giving it five stars. I can't imagine running an Ebberon-like magitech setting without these options. and the world of Aden is a fun Ebberon replacement that is full of flavor.


Great book

5/5

The two preceding reviews describe what's in the book.

It's a great book, with a lot of interesting concepts in the races, classes, etc. As said elsewhere, the classes chapter is where the book shines. From the class chapter, I most like the entomancer and fallen classes, monk archetype, and samurai orders.

The arbiter improved shieldwarden's stance ability seems to have been forgotten, so I'll make a stab at what it should say:

Improved Shieldwarden's Stance (Ex) At 10th level, the arbiter gains a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class (rather than +2) when using his shieldwarden's stance. He suffers only a -4 penalty to attack rolls when he attacks while using the total defence action. This ability otherwise follows all the normal rules and requirements of the arbiter's shieldwarden's stance ability and replaces the shieldwarden's stance ability.

While not a fan of anthropomorphic races myself, what they did with the ferran race was well done- 3 body types (brute, predator, sneak)- and each of them chooses three Bestial Nature Racial Traits as well, to allow further customisation. Nice!

One thing I found is that the font size is small. On the other hand, that fact must have reduced the book size, and considering that the cost of the book including shipping was $ pricy for me, I am grateful for that small mercy!

Something I particularly like are the sidebars that describe how to use the material in your own games if they are not set in Aden. Also, the "chatty" parts which discuss particular rules elements, like the favored class bonuses and fallen paladins, are well argued.


One of the best 3rd party books I've read!

5/5

This book is great! I wasn't familiar with the history of the world of Aden until I picked this up, but I'm quite glad that Kyoudai Games got their hands on the rights.

The book has some pretty amazing magi-tech related material: from people with cybernetic implants to airships and tanks, this book probably has what you are looking for.

The new races were okay: their lore was solid, but I wasn't overly impressed with the concepts of a few. But the classes definitely make up for this. If you've ever wanted to play a mad inventor, a mage with a golem bodyguard, or a vigilante with a jet bike, you won't be disappointed.

The lore of the world is also (from what I can tell with limited experience) ported faithfully from the original video games to the Pathfinder system. Great sections on history, important nations, and other events or persons of interest.

There are a few editing/formatting errors throughout, but not enough to really detract from the text. I did get left scratching my head a few times due to some wording trouble, but not in a dangerous way.

Another minor gripe is how widely the art quality seems to swing: sometimes, it's on-par with a Paizo book, but there are a few illustrations that are kind of cartoon-y.

Overall, very impressed by this book and would love to see more material for the setting over time.

Giving five stars because, despite a few stumbling blocks, this is an amazing introductory effort by the developers. Keep up the good work!


1 to 5 of 6 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>
1 to 50 of 65 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>
Webstore Gninja Minion

Now available!


Adventure Path Charter Subscriber

I was a patron of the Kickstarter. I have to say the Thunderscape is very well done and a number of the classes like the Steamwright, Mechamage and Golemoid will fit right in a Alkenstar or Numeria setting (I am planning on play one or the other) for Iron Gods. The Seer is a very different class and would be a wonderful challenge to play. I am also fond of the Thaumaturge, a very dynamic and flexible class.

Two thumbs up for the setting and the classes. If Thunderscape is lacking, it was there wasn't enough space to do everything justice.

Silver Crusade

Oh my God.

Everything about the old computer game is rushing back now.

slams into the cart


If you want to drool over the amazing art and concepts, classes, races etc, check out the Aden Campaign website.

I'm not a fan of all the components, and the whole package isn't my scene, but there are awesome concepts and expositions throughout the site. And I'm pretty sure most of this is in the book...


I think I might be in love with this campaign setting. I'll probably be running my next game in it, so expect a few questions and feedback as we start. Really amazing stuff here!


The first question being, do gunslingers still receive the Deadeye Deed? Seeing as how Thunderscape did away with the touch attack rules, I'm drawing a blank...


Fafnir: Our firearm paradigm is pretty different from the one that incorporates Gunslingers. If you choose to use that class, we recommend you use them exactly as they were intended, but mixing them with Thunderscape firearm rules could prove problematic.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Wow, this sounds pretty interesting, and I may have to look into this. Some of the new classes sound very cool, and I'm looking forward to the new races. (Of the classes I think I am most curious about the thaumaturge), although having said that, the steamwright, mechamage, and golemoid all sound cool, different, and interesting as well.

Hmm. Only $20 ... count me in (although will need to wait until payday).

Dean


I want it so bad, so bad.


So what's the rules/world information ratio in this product?


Dot. Picking this up later, sounds awesome.


Oooh... A new setting to look through... (☆_☆)

8D

Carry on!

--C.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Hello, everyone, and thank you for your kind words. I hope the product lives up to your excitement!

Kajehase, I see that you are interested in the breakdown of the book. Let me see what I can give you in the way of information.

The introduction is 2 pages, no rules.
Chapter 1: Races is 18 pages, probably 50/50 there.
Chapter 2: Classes 75 pages, something like 90+% rules.
Chapter 3: Feats, Traits, and Skills is 8 pages, 95+% rules.
Chapter 4: History is 6 pages, 100% world info (obviously)
Chapter 5: Life in Aden is 12 pages, 100% world info.
Chapter 6: Nations of Eastern Aden, 18 pages, 100% world info
Chapter 7: Nations of Western Aden, 18 pages, 100% world info
Chapter 8: Magic, 16 pages, probably 85% rules
Chapter 9: Technology, 32 pages, probably 75% rules
Appendix, 12 pages, 10 of them taken up with the bestiary (all rules)

I hope you decide to give it a try, but I wanted to answer your question because I would hate for you to purchase it without a clear understanding of what you're getting. That just leads to disappointment.


@Kajehase and all interested - check out the website I linked upthread - there is lots to see about Aden/Thunderscape to help you decide if it is you thing/interesting. As I said, even if it isn't your setting style of choice, the concepts (classes and races, feats) do seem very cool...


Are there going to come a Bestiary to the World of Aden

Sovereign Court

I would love to have a Bestiary considering at the moment I have to dig through a lot of Bestiary and Monster Manual books to find monsters frightening enough to use as Nocturnals. Other than that I've been checking out the monsters in the actual PC game of Thunderscape and creating stats for them. The PC's have already encountered some Cave Rats, basically Darkfall tainted dire rats that have a Torment ability (Due to their frightening screams) and are tougher than the average dire rat.


It's interesting that you ask about a bestiary. We've talked a lot about that. The concern here is that, as a small company just starting out, a bestiary is usually a GM purchase, meaning we'd get lower sales, and it's very high art density, meaning greater cost. Until we grow our fanbase a bit, it's a very risky proposition and we're a little concerned it might be a mistake to get into at this point.

That being said, however, as Darkfire so rightly points out, the video games are full of weird nasties that might make good PF conversions, and I've recently stumbled onto an idea that I think might be a viable way to introduce small bestiary volumes of 10-12 monsters at a time, so I'm working on a proposal to take to the other board members and see what we can do. I mean, if the bestiary wasn't a viable concept, Paizo wouldn't keep making them, right?

I swear, the problem with Thunderscape is that there are so many fun things I want to do, and not enough time to do them. :)


You could maybe include a couple of templates

Dark Archive

While I enjoy bestiaries, the other books from the kickstarter should be released first.


You are correct, Jadeite, and with the exception of the Adventure Path, which by its very nature has to take place over an extended amount of time, we are working on all those items as we speak. The first Thunderscape Nights is out, the first Thunderscape Vistas is almost ready for release, we've uploaded the first AP module and we're just waiting on POD proofs, and the first class guide is due out at the end of this month, with another (the second of four) to follow in the summer.

So make no mistake, we're hard at work on everything from the Kickstarter. We're just considering additional bits here and there. For instance, we have recieved a lot (and I mean a LOT) of interest in adventure modules based on the two original PC games. I have considered a very low-target Kickstarter to get those produced in PDF form, but I cannot in good conscience do so until we have most of the original KS out. At least then backers can see that we are serious and that we deliver on our promises.

Webstore Gninja Minion

Ooh! Shiny hardcover now available!

Grand Lodge

scarman wrote:

You are correct, Jadeite, and with the exception of the Adventure Path, which by its very nature has to take place over an extended amount of time, we are working on all those items as we speak. The first Thunderscape Nights is out, the first Thunderscape Vistas is almost ready for release, we've uploaded the first AP module and we're just waiting on POD proofs, and the first class guide is due out at the end of this month, with another (the second of four) to follow in the summer.

So make no mistake, we're hard at work on everything from the Kickstarter. We're just considering additional bits here and there. For instance, we have recieved a lot (and I mean a LOT) of interest in adventure modules based on the two original PC games. I have considered a very low-target Kickstarter to get those produced in PDF form, but I cannot in good conscience do so until we have most of the original KS out. At least then backers can see that we are serious and that we deliver on our promises.

Is there away to get both the hardcover and pdf other that spending the $$ separately?


PJ: Email me at shawncarman32@gmail.com and I will give you some additional options.


Is this the same book produced via kickstarter or is it a POD printing?

Paizo Employee Design Manager

So, I bought the hardcover almost 2 months ago and it's still sitting in my orders marked "pending". Do we know when these will be available? The original estimate was 7-11 days...


Bardadin: These are the same hardcovers that were created for the Kickstarter. There are no POD options for the core book available anywhere, and will not be until and unless we sell through the initial print run.

Ssalarn: Honestly I don't know how Paizo gets their stock, although I have been told they get it through a distributor like Alliance. As such I don't know what their ETA might be! We've got books, so they're somewhere in the pipeline, I just don't know where exactly.

Webstore Gninja Minion

scarman wrote:
Honestly I don't know how Paizo gets their stock, although I have been told they get it through a distributor like Alliance. As such I don't know what their ETA might be! We've got books, so they're somewhere in the pipeline, I just don't know where exactly.

Currently it's through our distributor, and right now the estimate is currently 4 to 11 days to receive it (and then some additional time to process it in our warehouse).


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

This book is gorgeous and full of great material.


Liz: Thank you very much for the clarification. I've been writing RPGs for years but I'm pretty new to this side of things. If you guys ever need anything, you just let me know and I'll make it happen ASAP. :)

Kryzbyn: Thank you very much! We think so too. I hope you had occasion to enjoy our recent release, the Iron Guard Field Guide!


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Not yet, but I'm waiting for more Seer material ;)


I love this as a kind of toy box for my own campaign although the Gunman ranger combat style needs to have precise shot added to the list of feats it grants a character taking it.

Liberty's Edge

finian wrote:
Are there going to come a Bestiary to the World of Aden

yeah, I have been stealing ideas from this for my home game. A bestiary would be really useful.


I'm a little disturbed about how there's no gods in this game. What about the afterlife? All told, I really like what's being said of this product, but am uncomfortable with this detail.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

There's an entire section in the book about religions on Aden.


Kryzbyn wrote:
There's an entire section in the book about religions on Aden.

Yes, but the write-up specifically said there are no gods in the thunderscape setting. Without gods, how can there be an afterlife?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Reincarnation?

Paizo Employee Design Manager

Barong wrote:
Kryzbyn wrote:
There's an entire section in the book about religions on Aden.
Yes, but the write-up specifically said there are no gods in the thunderscape setting. Without gods, how can there be an afterlife?

Why would gods be necessary for an afterlife? Really, if you consider Greek mythology, the Forgotten Realms, or Egyption mythology, the afterlife might be a better place without deities. And there's places like Eberron from WotC where the gods are so distant their existence is up for debate to a certain extent.

I kind of like the idea of a setting where the afterlife is as big a mystery to them as it is to us.


Ssalarn wrote:
Barong wrote:
Kryzbyn wrote:
There's an entire section in the book about religions on Aden.
Yes, but the write-up specifically said there are no gods in the thunderscape setting. Without gods, how can there be an afterlife?

Why would gods be necessary for an afterlife? Really, if you consider Greek mythology, the Forgotten Realms, or Egyption mythology, the afterlife might be a better place without deities. And there's places like Eberron from WotC where the gods are so distant their existence is up for debate to a certain extent.

I kind of like the idea of a setting where the afterlife is as big a mystery to them as it is to us.

Hmm, I didn't think of it that way. I do kind of like the idea of it being a big mystery. In Golarion, a cleric of Sarenrae just needs to cast 'plane shift' to meet with their goddess.

What I find strange is that I read from the creator that no gods exists in the setting, but a sentence later he says gods were once worshipped thousands of years ago. Where did they go?
And some of the faiths I read about, such as The Way of The Ten Beasts(a philosophical faith, where the beasts are metaphors), has people that worship the ten beasts as literal gods.
This all makes me want to learn more but I can't get the book at this time.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Barong, I understand your questions very well. They are questions that I myself asked many years ago when I was pondering the secrets of the world of Aden, long before I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase the rights to the game.

Some of the questions you are asking are central to the plotline of our first Adventure Path, the Lost Lexicon. The second installment of that module has been delayed somewhat but we are taking steps to make sure that the rest of it is delivered in a prompt and timely manner. Hopefully, if you get the chance to peruse it in time, you'll find the answers you're looking for and begin to understand why the people of Aden seem so confused about the state of religion in their world. :)


Oh, that sounds nice :). I haven't found a campaign setting that has intrigued me like this one in a long time. Hopefully I'll be able to get the book soon :)


OK, I have a copy of this because I bought into the Kickstarter but still I really like what they did. I am looking forward to anymore print books to come out for this setting as it is really well put together.


scarman wrote:
PJ: Email me at shawncarman32@gmail.com and I will give you some additional options.

Dang. I just bought the PDF because I didn't see a PDF + print option. Sending email...


@Scarman:

Behemoth, Horror and Seducer Stigmas for the Fallen class - are they missing a 2nd level Stigma ability, or is there another ability balancing them - the other Stigmas seem to get an ability at 2/4/7/10/13/16/19...


Hello, Oceanshieldwolf!

I spoke to Rich and this is what he asked me to communicate from his perspective as Lead Designer for all our mechanics.

"When Fallen receive a Stigma ability at 2nd level, it is always an ability that either modifies the way they apply scourge damage or the status abilities affected by torment. Horror and Behemoth are each designed to take greater advantage of scourge and torment's default functionality (each in their own unique way), so they did not receive an additional ability at that level. Seducer got so many basic tools at 1st level (things that they needed to function as Seducers) that a 2nd level ability seemed excessive.

That being said, I realize that this can create a potential stumbling block when dealing with possible archetypes and the like in teh future,s o we're possibly considering giving these three stigmas some sort of minor utility ability at 2nd level if we revisit these particular rules at some point, just to make things more even."

How does that strike you?


Yeah I thought that might be the case. Perhaps in the supplement that focuses on Fallen you could approach those particular Stigmas...

As I said in my email I'm really enjoying the Fallen and Seer.


Everything I have from Thunderscape has been pleasant to read so far. I may be prejudiced but the Ferran race has impressed me the most so far. In some ways it simplifies a lot of what I want from anthro races and I am debating whether or not to go forward with adjusting them for my own campaign world or use them in addition to what I have built using the Fursona series. Which brings me to a question regarding a concept I have which I am calling Kymera. Say you have a race of animal people that are a mix of human and two other animals, human/wolf/bear as an example, and I want to use the traits of the ferrans as listed in the main book, what would you suggest I do going about building the race? Combine different types? I am mulling this over in my head, and would like an opinion outside the voices contained therein.


I've been pretty impressed with what I've been reading so far!


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

What is the Twin Soul ability at 13 for Thaumaturges?

EDIT: Nevermind, I found the errata.

So, for discussion's sake...
What was it intended to be? Like have 2 legends going at once?


Reviewed


If you're strapped for cash, thought I'd mention that we're the Deal of the Day over at DriveThru! You know, in case a twenty-spot seemed like a bit too much but you just reeeeeeeaaally wanted to try out some hot hot Thunderscape action.

1 to 50 of 65 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Paizo / Product Discussion / Thunderscape: The World of Aden (PFRPG) All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.